Feds Order Wolf Trapping in New Mexico

An endangered Mexican gray wolf in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico will be removed from the wild for killing cattle, according to a newly disclosed order from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Trapping the two-year-old alpha male of the Luna pack would further reduce the struggling wolf population that declined by 12 percent in 2015. Only 97 wolves were counted in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona in January, down from 110 the previous year. Three wolves have already died this year, including two accidentally killed through government trapping. Trapping is to commence only after the targeted wolf’s mate localizes in a den to give birth, or after May 15, the last possible date for whelping, in order to avoid harming her. Yet, even with human feeding of the female, any pups will be less likely to survive once their father is removed...more